Nuno Espirito Santo was already expected to play much of his bench in last week's game in Portugal last week, but the new Tottenham Hotspur manager took that a bit too far in the first leg of the Europa Conference League Playoff, with only Giovanni Lo Celso on the pitch from the typical starting XI. It was not surprising, the home side Paços de Ferreira won the first leg 1-0.
A one-goal deficit is not really that harsh for a side like Tottenham. Plus, with UEFA ending the away goals rule, there is definitely still an excellent chance to advance.
The question remains, will Tottenham be able to make it to the Group Stage?
Today's match will be a good test of what Tottenham plans to do with its future in this seasons' Europa League. Will they really be keen on putting so many resources into a top 4 push? Would they rather use this opportunity to train their youth? We will likely clear the picture up tonight.
If they want to secure a victory, Hotspur Boss, Nuno, will definitely need to roll out a stronger side today. There is a big match against Watford this weekend and then the international competitions to follow. Having more experienced and core players on the pitch tonight will definitely be a good warmup for these future matches, but, Nuno also runs the risk of injury.
Competitive Wagering Odds
Tottenham is a major favorite for the match and bet365 Sports has them at 1.14 for the win. Pacos Ferriera is well back at 15.00 for the win and to advance, the Hotspur is also expected to make good. There are also a number of live in-play odds available during the match.
The odds in this article at the bookmaker mentioned above were accurate at the time of writing on August 6 at 7:00 GMT.